


A(mber) Journal

by I_Otaku



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Gen, Incarcerated Varian (Disney), No beta we die like mne, Varian Angst (Disney), Varian Has Issues (Disney), Varian Needs a Hug (Disney), weird writing style but i hope its cool not lame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25831303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Otaku/pseuds/I_Otaku
Summary: A small leatherbound journal lays on the floor of the room, cover scraped and spine warped. Lifting it and dusting off the debris, inside is the story of a fourteen year old- lost, alone, broken, and scared.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 78





	A(mber) Journal

01

[The journal’s page is pristine, no written words. It appears to be crumpled slightly.]

[Ink and water stains appear to bleed through from the following page.]

02

[A fragment of a sentence is crossed out, ink poured over the text. Small five fingered footprints tread across the page. They appear to be rolling something across the page.]

[At the very bottom are tearstains, the page is crumpled.]

03

[Shaky handwriting appears in a single sentence.]

_This is my fault._

04

[Barely legible handwriting sits small in the center of the page.]

_This is my fault._

05

[The handwriting is smoother now, a large ink splatter decorates the bottom right corner.]

_-Note to self: keep Ruddiger AWAY from parchments and inks._

06

[The page has the bleeding ink stain in the bottom left corner, and chicken scratch decorates most of the page.]

_-Ruddiger keeps shoving this stupid thing into my hands. He keeps trying to pull me away from dad too, clearly he doesn’t know what he’s doing._

_-I can’t leave him. I can’t._

_-I already abandoned him once, an ~~d this is what happened i did this i~~ _

[The rest of the line is crossed out violently, the quill tearing a hole in the parchment. The remaining word are illegible.] 

_-My stomach hurts. I thought throwing up was supposed to do a reset._

07

[The writing dances around the tear in the page, uneven lines warping in arcs around it.]

_\- Ruddiger has stopped burying himself in my shirt, the snow has started to disperse from the room. The roof is still broken. The rocks haven’t moved_

_-It’s so cold._

_-Is he cold?_

_-I’m hungry._

_-Is he hungry?_

_-I’m a bad son. I wanted to help I swear dad- I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry-_

[Those two words create a wall of text, words overlapping and intersecting until a large streak of ink cuts across the bottom of the page.]

08

[The page has bled through with the writing, words mirrored and sentiments still palpable.]

09

[The handwriting on the page is worse than before, the page smells acrid and nauseating. Words are misspelled, and lines overlapping as if written without seeing properly.]

_-Something is wrong_

_-The colb won’t ledve mmy hamds_

[A large vomit stain is on the majority of the page, swiped away but still warping the parchment]

_-oops_

10

[Aside from the residual staining and stench, the only thing on this page appears to be the imprint of a Coronan coin gently scribbled over with graphite.]

11

_-Someone visited._

_-I can think again, but I don’t particularly want to._

_-They left a coin and made me drink something- some kind of medicine if I had to guess._

_-Note to self: try harder to sleep with mouth closed_

12

[The page is lined, writing clear.]

_-We need food, but I can’t go_

_-Ruddiger can only steal apples from the orchard for so many meals._

_-The nightmares haven’t stopped. I don’t think they ever will. I hear his voice every time I feel myself relax, I’m reminded every time I try to think that my stupid thinking is what_

[There are a few lines of blank space.]

_-The air is cold. It hurts my lips. I hear the wind rushing through the broken roof. I feel the texture of the wood floor against my stomach. I feel Ruddiger curled up on my back. I feel the tears in my eyes._

_-He can’t feel anything, can he? Does he feel cold? He can’t breathe-_

[Dried blood splatters the bottom line.]

_-Sharp impact and blunt force can’t strike at the cleavage line inciting a fracture._

_-Note to self: pick up geology_

13

[The handwriting is nearly illegible, and crossed out. A small section is at the top of the page, before a large break, and the remaining text legible and in another ink color.]

_~~i saw the amber crawl down his throat saw it shoot up his nose saw it sink through his eyes and saw it seal him in a red capsule like formaldehyde saw it~~ _

_-Went outside today. Ruddiger kept pawing at my eyes (or probably the eyebags-) which made it difficult. Used the coin to buy more food. Tripped over a rock. Can’t cook well enough so it's mostly dried things, lasts longer. Buddy won’t eat unless I do._

_-The cold of the house doesn’t affect the integrity of the amber, attempts to melt the chemical are next._

_-Where normal amber is pliant and easy to scratch this shows no signs of weakness from slashing, piercing, or sawing._

14

_-It’s been two weeks. Can he survive without food and water?_

_-Heat shows no natural response, the amber glows as expected but refuses to melt, it remains rigid._

_-Analyzing the original composition shows a high density of carbon and gaseous factors explaining the reaction to the atmosphere and self sealant_

_-Scraping results show no fragmentation or shards, the prehensile tension is unable to shed or be grasped enough to enable snapping any branch_

_-It's almost like_

15

[The page is mostly torn out, small portions of paper sticking out of the gutter.]

16

[What remains of the paper appears to be blank on the backside as well.]

17

[The text is large, letters scrawled violently into the page like the scraping of a nightmarish wound.]

_IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME IT WASNT ME_

18

_It was her._

19

[A single phrase is written over a hundred times, lettering so small it’s hard to read. Written again and again, over and over.]

_This is her fault._

20

[The text returns to interrupted and jagged. The curve of the letters are sharp, the straights digging through the parchment.]

_THIS IS ALL HER FAULT_

_SHELL PAY FOR WHAT SHES DONE_

_ILL NEVER FORGIVE HER FOR WHAT SHES DONE_

21

_-My alchemy is failing me. Its never failed me before. It must be some kind of magic, a crossing of my love and the black rocks themselves. I need magic._

_-I’ve begun a schematic for a drill. I’ve gathered specimens for testing, starting with anything higher than amber on the hardness scale._

22 

[The top half of the page is covered with a ashy handprint, fingerprints smudged around the edges.]

_-I overslept. When I tried to actually cook something, I knocked the bag of oats onto the flame. I hate oats. The whole house smells like burnt oats and Ruddiger hates me. Dad likes toasted oats. Maybe the smell is nice for him._

[A large gap fills most of the remaining page. What remains is a list, some of the ink smeared but most are clearly written a great span of time apart.]

_-I’ve finished the drill late tonight. The spearhead didn’t work. The brick didn’t work. The iron mallet didn’t work. Dad’s wedding ring didn’t work. The amulet dad gave me didn’t work._

_-I need magic._

_-A strange smelling vial washed ashore on my midnight walk. I have a feeling it'll be useful._

23

_-Ruddiger woke me up, my head hurts. My back hurts from sleeping next to dad, but the nightmares are too much when I can’t wake up and see him. It doesn’t help, but it scares me back to work and my senses. My alchemy has failed me. Ruddiger keeps pulling me to my old bed, to the kitchen, to windows I could open. I hate it. I don’t have time._

_-I yelled at him. I didn’t mean it. I hate it when dad yells._

_-When I found him he had knocked over dad’s bookcase, sprawling other journals and books out. I’ll be reading the rest of the day to see if there’s anything I’m missing._

_-It’s cold. I want dad back. Dad is warm. Dad is safe._

24

[A small drawing takes up the left corner of the page- a flower. In the top right corner, a sun.]

_-The sundrop. The sundrop has healing powers, the power of the sun itself. A celestial body must be able to break this._

_-The flower is kept in the royal vault. To get in I’ll have to see her again. I can use her._

_-I’ve gathered most of my chemicals to create light and heat, a few of the explosives too._

_-Tomorrow I leave for Corona. I’ll make you proud dad. I promise._

_25_

[The paper is crumpled, the text partially smeared as if it was caught in a fist, and straightened out. Swathes of text are scribbled down hurriedly, live lab notes taken in shorthand that makes close to no sense.]

[In the middle of the page in some kind of marker, is a single word.]

**_RAPUNZEL_ **

26

_-The aeration device is ready, and the liquid must be some kind of mood alteration potion. It only took a few hours to revamp the air circulator I made for the hot summers. Perfect for distraction. Smoke bombs are easy to make too, not having to make the casing only made it easier. I’m going to get her here. No matter what it takes. She will fix what she’s done._

[A large space is between the block of text and the final line.]

_-I’m sorry buddy_

27

_-Arianna is here. I’m going to win. I can’t lose. I have nothing else to lose._

_-Come on in Rapunzel. I promise I’m going to win. And you can see what I do to keep my promises._

“-ndie?” Eugene’s hand startles her out of her reverie, Rapunzel jumping and slamming the journal shut. 

“Yes!”

“Uh huh. Whatcha got there?” Eugene gestures vaguely at the journal in her hands. “Something interesting?”

“It’s uh-” She flips through the pages quickly, only noticing then that a large majority of the remaining pages are blank. She can’t tell if it’s assuring, or threatening. “It’s nothing.” She tosses the book to the partially destroyed floor, and rubs her arms. 

“Alright, well if there’s nothing else we should get on the road.” He steps up to her side, hand sliding across her back to hold her close. “There’s not much else we can do here.” He doesn’t mention the amber not twenty feet from them thankfully, although Rapunzel won’t be forgetting what’s happened anytime soon.

She glances up at it, moonlight shining through the translucent stone. Outside a too familiar scream echoes around the black rocks and into the cursed house. Varian’s screams echo late into the night and high into the hills. Rapunzel will never forget the sound.

**Author's Note:**

> so yeah i had an idea and i love varian tbh i project on raps to some degree and simp eugene so VARIAN IS MY LITTLE BROTHER BABY BOY SWEET CHILD


End file.
